By your side I'll be (always and forever)
by Sevi007
Summary: It's a quiet and early morning for Eva and Sparda and their little one, peaceful and slow and warm, and it's then and there they decide - they never want anything else but this.


Waking up was a rather abrupt affair this morning; one moment Eva was deep in dreamless slumber – the next she was awake, disoriented and lethargic.

She stared into their dim bedroom without really seeing, limbs heavy as she shifted, sluggishly trying to put together _why_ she was awake. Especially considering the general darkness and the deep, even breaths next to her. It really must have been early still when not even Sparda had woken up yet. So why…?

The answer broke through the syrupy thoughts circling aimlessly in her mind in the form of the familiar feeling of tiny feet kicking – or fists? She hadn't figured that out for sure- in her belly, making her acutely aware that those said little feet or fists were pressing uncomfortably down onto a rather sensitive spot. Namely, right onto her bladder.

Eva barely managed to swallow the groan that threatened to rise in her throat, knowing full well it would wake her company otherwise. _Sweetheart, I love you, but __**really?**_

Another movement, lighter this time, but still making her acutely aware that she would need to make a trip to the bathroom. There was nothing for it. Their child had no sensibilities in this regard, not yet, anyway, and nobody could fault them for it. She was already smiling again in wry amusement by the time she started to wriggle out from the heavy arm laying protectively over her, careful not to rouse its owner while doing so.

There was an unhappy huff from the man when she had almost managed it, but Sparda's frown smoothed over again when she murmured soothing words, pressing a feather light kiss to his brow before slipping from the bed entirely. By the time she had waddled halfway across the room and chanced a glance back, he had already rolled over completely onto her side of the bed, burying his face in the pillow that likely still held her scent.

Swallowing the delighted little noise she wanted to make at the sight afforded near inhuman restraint; nearly as much as ignoring the urge to crawl back into the bed and cuddle him.

But first the bathroom. Then back to warm cuddles.

At least that had been the plan. Yet by the time Eva was washing her hands, the flush behind her making her cringe in worry the noise would wake Sparda, it became quickly apparent that sleep was not in the cards for her today. The baby was even livelier than usual, constantly moving and kicking and what felt like _turning, _and it made her smile and sigh both at the same time.

Resolutely, she splashed some cool water onto her face to wake up completely. Sleep would not find her easily again, if at all, like this, she knew as much. She would only toss and turn, as restless as their child, if she returned to bed now. So to avoid the risk of waking her partner, she decided to migrate to the kitchen to at least get something to drink, maybe prepare breakfast to be shared later.

"You're a little _menace_," she told her belly, laughing. And as if to mock her, the little on actually fell silent right then, making her laugh even more.

The last thing Eva saw of her reflection before leaving the room was the sheer glow of happiness on her face that belied all her put on outrage.

Breakfast did not get prepared immediately. She had not even finished preparing her tea yet, only just begun steeping it and watching the steam rise over it in lazy curls while she leant against the countertop, still half in a doze, when she felt the little one move again; wave-like and fluttering, nearly tickling.

Laughing quietly, she put a hand over her belly, simply feeling the movement and life in it. "You sure are lively today, sweetheart. Can't sleep? Or just don't want to?

Of course there was no answer, yet the baby seemed to calm somewhat. Eva liked the thought of them listening attentively while she spoke; not yet understanding, of course not, but maybe already memorizing the sound of her voice.

She hoped they would always associate the sound with warmth; with all the boundless love she held for them.

Still stroking gentle circles against the swell of her belly, she had started to hum before she even consciously registered it. When she did, she had to laugh at herself a little – she had often been smiled at fondly, teasingly, because she sang along to _anything_ without even noticing it.

The baby seemed to calm because of it, though, so she continued, picked up where she had left off and formed aimless humming into a familiar melody. Soon she was quietly singing the lines, strokes of her hand meeting the timing of the rise and fall of her voice, song given strength by the echo in the empty kitchen and, hopefully, heard by her small audience.

Eva was halfway through the third repetition of the song when she heard quiet steps on the stairs; only audible to human ears because he wanted them to be, she knew. She smiled to herself where she steered her tea, taking a little sip before continuing on her singing.

By the time she turned, in the middle of the refrain, Sparda was already there: Leaning casually against the doorframe, arms and ankles crossed and smile soft as he watched her, looking just this side of the kind of sleepy and rumpled she loved seeing on him in the morning, with his tousled hair and his bare chest and feet.

He didn't approach when she smiled at him and greeted him with a silent lift of her teacup, seemed content to watch the show.

So a show she gave him; singing still, a bit louder and in his direction for the newcomer. Never breaking eye contact as she delivered each word and note, smiling through it all with unaltered affection. For a long, long moment, it was only them, warm and content, enveloped by the lyrics and shielded from the rest of the world.

When the last lines trailed off, quieter and quieter until fading completely, it was nearly as if a spell had been broken. They both blinked a couple of times, like dreamers awakening from a deep sleep, before they smiled at each other again.

Eva put her cup down and reached her now free hand out for him to take, beckoning him closer. "Hello, love. I hope we didn't wake you."

There was something in Sparda's eyes as he pushed off the frame and approached. A hint of wonder and warmth and silent determination, mixing into something she couldn't quite place yet. All musings about it fled her head, though, when he stepped within arm's reach, their fingers linking smoothly together, and pulled her in to drop a kiss to her forehead, then her lips.

"Good morning," he rumbled once he pulled back, voice still gravely from sleep yet gaze alight and aware already. He dropped one hand to her hip before smoothing it up over her belly, letting it rest there as he glanced down, a frown flickering over his expression for a second. "They did not give up any trouble, did they?"

"No, no," Eva had to laugh at his worry, utterly charmed by it. Always, always looking out for her, for them. She covered his hand with hers, squeezing gently and reassuring. "Me laying still for hours straight just bores them; you should know that by now."

A teasing smirk twitched around his lips. "Now, I wonder where they get _that_ particular trait from."

"Oh, well, you should see their father," Eva played along immediately, laughter crinkling her eyes. "Terribly impatient sometimes, that one. Can't sit still when there's something to _do_ instead."

"Mmmmh. Sounds like a right handful."

"Well, he can be, I suppose."

The twitching intensified. She could tell he was having a hard time staying serious, the twinkling in his eyes giving him away. It didn't exactly help containing herself either. "You do sound quite happy about it, however."

"I am. Very much so," raising her hand from atop his, she pushed a few of the unruly strands of hair there back, softly cupping his face afterwards as they locked eyes. "Very, very much, dear."

Something about the quiet admission seemed to hit him harder than she had expected; Sparda released a breath of air which audibly hitched midway through, expression growing more serious even as his eyes softened. He lifted his hand as well, covering hers, and suddenly the atmosphere seemed to shift where they held each other, gazes and hands alike. Languid and warm moved into something much more focused in comparison.

It made Eva pause, cocking her head at him when he stayed quiet, simply taking her in. A flutter started in her chest, a little nervousness and anticipation alike – though anticipation for what, exactly, she didn't know.

"Sparda?" She said it quietly, feeling as if a louder word would shatter whatever atmosphere just filled the room. "What is it?"

Sparda blinked slowly at her, once, twice, still so very intense… before his expression eased, melting into a smile. As he seemed to settle on something. "Eva."

"Yes?"

"Marry me."

The words did not immediately register in her mind; she was still smiling and about to answer when they _did_ and she froze. _Everything_ seemed to freeze, really, their surroundings muted while she processed what he had just said. _If_ he had just said that. And he was still smiling at her, that soft and wondering look in his eyes, nearly unblinking in his intensity and waiting, and somehow that was what she needed to understand that _yes he did just say that_, and she could let out the breath she had been holding without even noticing and-…

This was crazy. This was amazing. They had discussed marriage quite often by now, especially after they had gotten the news about her pregnancy. And again more in detail when they had gotten the house (or, as Eva joked, _he_ got a house, and _she_ got to live in it). The possibility had always been there, for the both of them. Simply the _when _had been hanging in the air, half because they simply hadn't had the time yet, and half to keep at least _some_ semblance of surprise alive.

Well. She certainly _was_ surprised, that was for sure, no matter how it made her heart leap of joy. Just because they had spoken about it and known it would happen one day, didn't mean she had expected it at every turn – and certainly not _now_.

"Why now?"

The words were out before she could have stopped them, breathless with confusion and elation both, and she almost, _almost_ regretted them, had Sparda not laughed quietly at the question. Amused. Understanding. Giddy. He pressed a kiss to her wrist where her pulse was racing now, eyes never leaving hers as he spoke lowly.

"Because I am selfish, and I _want_. And mainly, I want _this_, right here." Another kiss, to the same spot. "You, happy. You, singing to our child. You, making the world a little brighter. And, if you will have me - you, right there when I wake up, when I come home. There to welcome me."

Emotions swirled in Eva, constricting her throat and making her eyes burn, yet she somehow managed to get out, amazed and fond both, "None of that sounds selfish to me."

"Hm." He didn't seem too intent on arguing about it; Sparda's eyes crinkled with his smile so wide, yet she could still see the hope there as he held onto her wrist, fingers uncharacteristically cool and slightly trembling against her skin. "Will you have me, then, Eva?"

"Yes," she breathed it, barely getting it out, before she laughed, giddy and joyful, and said it louder again, "Yes, of course!"

His smile unfurled into a grin so bright it was near painful to look at, and so downright _happy _it made him look almost boyish in his joy. "Yes?"

"Yes, yes!" She was crying somewhere in between the laughter, now, she couldn't help it, blinking hard to get rid of the tears so she wouldn't lose sight of him. "What else do I have to say for you to believe it?!"

"Nothing, _nothing_, I-…you-…" Shaking his head, laughing himself, Sparda gave up entirely on words, and instead simply lifted her up into the air to the sound of her laughing shriek – as if she and her baby bump didn't weigh a thing – and spun them both in circles that certainly didn't help them feel any less dizzy than they already did.

By the time he stopped with a sharp turn of his heels, she had her arms thrown around his neck and they were forehead to forehead, grinning widely and, in Eva's case, sniffling a bit.

Soft lips ghosted against her skin and she had to hiccup through the last few tears when he kissed them away, gently, gently, before nuzzling her cheek with his. The purr rumbling through his chest was a constant vibration against her frame by now, warm and comforting.

"You said yes." He didn't sound near baffled this time, more pleased than anything else.

Still she had to shake her head gently at that, pulling back so she could look him in the eye. "Of course I did!"

Some of his usual humour entered his gaze as he hummed. "Well, maybe a _moment_ to consider it at least-…"

"What's there to _consider_, I would have married you from the first moment on-…"

"_Really?_" there was wicked tease and surprise warring on his face as he regarded her, eyebrows rising to his hairline.

"Alright, not on the very first moment," Eva amended, trying for haughty through her giggles. "I am not _that_ easy. Give me some credit."

"But you're saying it was soon afterwards?"

"Oh, of course you hear only _that_ part!"

"It seemed important-…_mph_."

Deciding that was quite enough of that, Eva simply went for a kiss to shut him up, catching his lips midway through shaping the next syllable. Not that Sparda seemed to mind one bit, responding without missing a beat and deepening it, making her wonder if he hadn't seen that coming from miles away.

When they broke apart again, she shifted uneasily, the position starting to put strain on her already aching back. Sparda's expression softened in understanding and he hoisted her up higher. With two steps he was by the counter again, setting her gently down to sit on it next to her abandoned cup. He stayed close, hands left and right of her hips, leaning half over her while he watched her intently as if memorizing her.

The close scrutiny made Eva remember what a sight she must make; still in her nightgown and hair barely brushed, everything about her must have screamed how she only just got out of bed. Laughing at the silliness of it, she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear again, shaking her head. "Had I known you would _propose_, I would have freshened up a bit more!"

Sparda's rumbling chuckle told her he sensed the joke behind it. Lifting a hand to card through her hair, wrapping a few strands around one finger, he mused, "To be fair, I did not plan this, exactly. If I had, it would have gone a bit differently."

"Really! How would that have gone differently?

"Well, I would have been fully clothed, for one."

"That's it? Hm, I don't know. I like this a lot." To make her point, Eva patted his bare chest appreciatively, giggling when he rolled his eyes at her without any real heat in it. She pressed a kiss to the same spot her hand had been at a second ago, just for good measure, and continued, "But honestly, Sparda, it doesn't matter. I said yes. I would say yes again. Shirt or not. Ring or not. I'm going to marry you any day."

Strangely enough, he actually tensed for a bit instead of relaxing as she had thought. He cleared his throat before muttering a half-hearted, "Actually…"

"Mh-m?" Curious, Eva pulled back to see what he was on about.

What followed was a rumble, only distinguishable as words when he ended slightly louder with "Coat pocket."

"… excuse me?"

Sparda's smirk was softening into something crooked and nearly timid as he rubbed his chin, the way he did when he was as close to bashful as he could get, and explained, "I might have had a ring in my coat pocket for, ah… a few weeks now."

Eva could actually _feel_ her mouth drop open as she stared at him, uncomprehending for a beat, before her voice rose high on a "_What?!_"

He cringed, maybe in embarrassment or maybe because of her high-pitched noise, it was not possible to say for sure. He looked almost hesitant to explain. "We did say marriage was a possibility, and you seemed fond of the idea. So I wanted to be prepared? Just in case."

Slowly, very slowly, Eva gathered her bearings enough to mentally calculate just _how _many weeks that must have been, considering when they had last talked about it. When she spoke again, her voice was strangled even to her own ears. "Then why did you never _ask?" _

"There seem to be certain conditions for proposals. One being the time and place should be romantic and perfect." The breath Sparda let out sounded as if he was carrying the burden of the whole world on his shoulders. An unhappy frown was darkening his expression as he added, "It appears finding that exact combination is rather more difficult than I imagined."

It took Eva a moment to process all of that and make sense of it. Once she did, she didn't know if she should laugh or cry or both.

She did nothing of the sort in the end; instead she pushed her way into Sparda's space, boldly reaching for his – rather wary looking – face and tugging him down until she could comfortably kiss him. Hard. Only after was done did she pull back and announce, "I was right. You _are_ a handful."

He was blinking at her, clearly confused by her reaction, but managed a lopsided grin. "You still sound happy about it."

"I am," she nodded, and pushed at his shoulders, to absolutely no avail of course. "And now go get my ring, please? I want to see it at least once _before_ I'm old and grey."

Rumbling laughter burst out of him at that, the last of the tension in his shoulders melting away. He kissed her once, quickly, lightly, and then heeded her order and turned to leave. Not without throwing her one last smile that had her grin helplessly back at him right before vanishing around the corner.

Once she heard his footsteps retreating down the hall, Eva slipped off the counter to her bare feet as gracefully as she could. The cold tiles couldn't even begin to bother her, not penetrating through the haze of excitement and disbelief which still clung to her, and the looping thought of _we're getting married. _

Grinning to herself like a loon, she put a hand over her belly, murmuring quietly to the moving child which had likely picked up on her excitement, "You hear that, little one? We're having a _wedding_."

The quiet clearing of a throat drew her attention again, and she looked up to beam at Sparda when he stepped back into the kitchen. The hand he held hidden behind his back made her heart trip, trip, _trip_, and she knew her voice wasn't quite steady when she laughed, joking, "You know, I just realized it might be difficult to find a fitting dress, like this."

"You will look wonderful in anything," he said, so easy and genuine she would have said Yes all over again. _Charmer_. His gaze dropped to her hand, and he smiled softly, crossing the few steps over to her to stoop and press a kiss to the back of it – to what lay beneath. He didn't look up again when he murmured, musing, "Do you think they approve?"

The question was strangely silly and endearing all the same to her and she huffed a laugh, leaning to tip his chin up so their eyes looked. "Of course they would… _if _they would understand what's happening, that is."

A fanged grin flashed over his face and he laughed, genuine and deep. "Good point."

Letting him go so he could step back was almost painful, but she managed. And then, to her utter surprise, Sparda shot her a wink and actually went onto one knee in front of her, balancing his elbow on the bent knee while he offered a velvet box up to her. Right there, in their kitchen, casual yet perfect like out of a movie.

It wasn't exactly proper or nice, maybe, but the entire thing made Eva throw her head back in delighted laughter. This all looked far too practiced. "Did you actually research how to do a traditional proposal or…?"

The grin sent her way was cheeky, even as he did his best to look offended. "I'm neither confirming nor denying that."

"That's a Yes! Oh, I love this."

A deep sigh barely masked his chuckle. "I thought you wanted to see the ring now?"

"Yes, go ahead please," taking a steadying breath, she tried to prepare herself. Even knowing what was to come, the mere idea of it made her stomach flutter and her heart race, hands clammy where they gripped the countertop tightly. Suddenly feeling as if she just _had _to tell him, again, she burst out breathlessly, "I love you so much."

His gaze was ever patient and warm as he answered, "And I you, Eva. Which is why I'm hoping this will be to your liking."

He clicked the box open in a move that, again, looked as if he didn't do it for the first time, and all air rushed out of her with a great gasp as she lay eyes on the ring sitting there in the middle of the tiny cushion.

It met her preferences exactly and exceeded them at the same time. A slender band of gold, the edges glittering silver in the sunlight. At the centre of it sat a dark purple stone; nothing gaudy or huge, size right to fit the graceful small curve of the ring itself, yet no less breathtakingly beautiful for it. It seemed to change colour as Eva watched, one second nearly black, then purple, and sometimes flickering embers of dark red or blue showing in it. The fact that Sparda hadn't moved the ring and thus never changed the angle of light hitting it even once and it still behaved so unnaturally made Eva suspect, fleetingly, that the stone was not something which could be found in the human realm.

The thought passed quickly enough, however. There was much more important things – like remembering to _breathe_, which she did with a great, shuddering gulp before smiling at Sparda. She could only hope it conveyed everything it should.

He smiled back at her, pleased and hopeful both. "Alright?"

"Perfect," she corrected him gently, cheeks hurting from smiling so much.

A breath through his nose, and his shoulders seemed to sag the tiniest bit. "It was made with you in mind, to match you. It should be."

_Made_ for her. She would have to poke and prod about that little detail later. Right now she could only nod as she caught his questioning gaze, waiting.

Ducking his head with a smile, clearing his throat, Sparda suddenly paused, seemingly thinking something over. Then he looked up at her, smile crooked and eyes glittering. "Ah. Do I have to repeat my question now?"

"No need," Eva answered, beaming as she pushed off the counter. One hand pressed protectively over her belly, she managed to go into her knees and slip into Sparda's lap, ring box effectively trapped between their chests while she reached to fold her hands behind his neck. They grinned at each other like fools, she was sure of it as she ended with, "I would say Yes, anyway. As many times as you need me to."

"Good to know," he murmured, reaching with his free hand to cradle the back of her head and pull her closer. "I will enjoy hearing it every time."

Her answering joyful laughter was swallowed by his mouth, smiles pressed against each other, hearts beating against the little ring between them.

And right then, Eva couldn't have possible imagined a more perfect or romantic moment even if she tried.


End file.
